Shear accessory



Oct. 14, 1952 M, P, LEFERE 2,613,739

SHEAR ACCESSORY Filed Jan. 25, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET l M12/URIBE P LEFEHEGamma/154.

Oct. 14, 1952 M. P. LEFERE 2,613,739

sHEAR Accx-:ssoRY Filed Jan. 2s, 1948 2 SHEETS- SHEET 2 FIL-PE-Syvum/Mofo MmU/:P/EEFLEFEFE 33,43 MVM Y@ Summa/g Patented ct. 14, '1952SHEAR ACCESSORY Maurice P. Lefere, Jackson, Mich., assignor to LefereForge & Machine Company, Jackson, Mich., a corporation of MichiganApplication January 23, 1948, Serial No. 3,887

` 1 2 Claims.

This invention relates to' metal shearing, punching .or stampingmachines of the type which Aemploy opposed operating parts between whichthe metal object to be operated upon is fed when the said parts arespaced apart prior to an operative movement there-of to effect thedesired shearing, punching or stamping operation.

More particularly, the inventionvrelates to machines of the vab-ove typewhich are employed in a metal forging shop and to such as are intended.topperate upon relatively heavy objects in the form of elongated steelbars or the like, and which are difficult to handle for the purpose ofadvancing them through the machine for their successive workingoperations.

Specifically, the invention is concerned with shearing machines of thetype employed to cut steel or other metal bars or stockinto separatelengths, 4pieces or billets and which employ a pair of transverselyextending shear plates consisting of a lower andXed shearplate and anupper shear plate which is reciprocable vertically, by a ram or likeaction, into and out of shearing relationship with respect tothe barstock advanced into position between the shear plates at a time, duringthe machine operating cycle, when the shear plates are spaced apart. yWith the existing metal shearing and like machines of the abovedescribed type, and which are employed to deal with heavy bar stock orlike workpieces, difficulty has been experienced in feeding the latterthrough the machine and this operation has hitherto mainly beenaccomplished by hand and has involved the use of several operators withrelatively high labor costs.

It is an object of the present invention to provide, for use inconjunction with machines of the above described type, feeder means bywhich the bar stock or like workpieces can be handled easier and moreexpediently and this with the saving of manpower and its attendant laborcosts. It is also an object of the invention to provide feederr means bywhich bar stock or the like can be fed automatically through a shearingmachine to cut metal bar stock into separate lengths, and this withoutthe necessity of employing but the minimum of manpower and with theprevention of a tendency for the bar stock to move or bounce backwardsduring, or between, the successive shearing operations.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a bar stock or likefeeder meansof .the character, and for the purpose above described,which'is rotatable to advance or feed the bar stockinto .the requiredoperating position but which is itself mounted for translational and,normally, vertical movements to so position the same with respect -tothe shearing or like machine parts that during the opened-up conditionof the latter the feeder means supports the bar stock clear of theshearing members and is thereby able to feed the bar stock forwardsbetween the shearing members while the bar stock is subjected to theminimum of friction.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a rotary feeder meansfor advancing metal bar stock past the shear plates of a metal bar stockshearing machine, which rotary feeder means is resiliently supported inposition and is thereby permitted to partake of a certain degree 0fself-adjustment tocompensate for the heavy working or operatingconditions encountered with the operation of such'machines as well as toprovide for the varyingof the effective size of the opening throughwhich the bar stock is fed. In other words, it is an object of theinvention to provide, in a shearing machine of the kind mentioned, arotary feed roll upon; which the bar stock can be supported and fed bytheroll between the opened-up shear platesof the machine but which feedroll has a somewhat sloppy sup porting arrangement which permits-thefeed roll to stand up to the correspondingly irregular and heavyoperating conditions encountered with the use of such machines. v y

These andvothero'bjects and advantages ofthe invention will berenderedclear from a consideration'of the following description of one Practicalapplication of the invention with reference tothe accompanyingdrawingsin which: 1

Fig. I is a front perspective view ofa shearing machine incorporatingone specific form of bar or work feed and barv or` work feed controllingmechanism in accordance with ,the invention, and i ,is

Fig. II is a vertical sectionalview of Fig.' yI, showing lthe saidmechanism inthe feeding posi'- tion, prior to the shearing operation. yy v In carrying the invention into effect in one convenient manner asillustrated in the drawingsA and as applied to a conventional type ofshearing machine, comprising a 'bulll .gear- I mounted behind a frame 2in which the lower and xed shear plate l3 and the vertically slidableshear plate 4 `are mounted, there arepr-ovided on the front of the framea vertically adjustable abutment block 5, which functions to hold-down'the bar stock 6 to be sheared', anda resiliently ,mounted bar feedrollerufl joverlwhich the bar stock'is fed into position -betweentheA'shear plates 3 3 and 4- and is held up against a fixed abutment wall 8at the rear of the machine.

The bar stock is conveniently fed to the feed roller 1 from a conveyordevice consisting of a series of transverse rollers 9 (only one of whichis shown) rotatably supported at longitudinally spaced intervalsbetweenthe side plates I of a fixed framework arranged in front of the machineas shown particularly in Fig. I. This conveyor device is convenientlydownwardly inclined towards the shearing machine so as thereby to assistin the obtaining of an automatic feeding movement of the bar stock inthe operation of the machine.

The bar feed roller 1 is positively and continuu ously rotated, in theoperation of the machine, as from an electric motor II driving on to theroller spindle I2 through the belt and pulley arrangement indicatedgenerally at I3 in Fig. I, it being appreciated, of course, that otherdrive arrangements may be employed for achieving the same object, namelythe positive and continuous rotation of the feed roller and this in thedirection as indicated by the arrow in Fig. II, which direction is thatin which the bar stock is fed.

The spindle part I2 projecting from one end oi the feed roller is` madeof universal joint construction and is axially continuous with theroller 1, which latter is supported for rotation at its opposite ends invertically reciprocable bearing blocks I 4 positioned above vertical legportions I5 of the machine frame and limited in their verticalmotion bythe screwed studs I8, which are passed through the overhead horizontallimbs |111 of the L-shape brackets I1 secured to extend vertically fromthe frame legs I5.

These screwed studs I6, therefore, are vertically adjustable and therebyallow the permitted `vertical 'motion of the bearing blocks I4, and

Vhence of the feed roll 1, to be varied within limits. It should bepointed out here that the purpose of the continuously rotating feed roll1 is to provide for the easy positioning of the bar stock 6 between theshear plates of the machine and the holding of the bar up against theabutment wall 8. This last mentioned'condition is achieved by rotatingthe feed roll continuously in the direction of'feed of the bar stock,whereby the bar stock, resting upon the feed roll, tends always tobeurged towards the abutment B and thereby opposes or resists any tendencyfor it (the bar) to lmove in the opposite direction away from thisabutment. At the Same time it is necessary, if undue friction is to beavoided, that the bar stock, while being vfed into position for shearingheld just 'clear of the holding-down block 5 as well as of the shearplates. Such a condition is possible of being attained by theconstruction and mounting of the feed roll 1 and its associatedadjustment features as already indicated and now further to bedescribed.

Returning, therefore, to the feed roll mecha- 'nismeach bearing block I4has a cylindrical surface by which it engages the top of its frame VlegI5 in such manner as to be free to partake of a certain degree of axialrolling motion to compensate forthe severe jarring nature of theshearing action. Also each block I4 has a top fiat truncated face whichprovides an abutment surface for the lower ends of the screwed studsEach bearing block I4 also has an upstanding lug I8 to which the lowerend-of a -vertically extending coil spring I9 is anchored'. There arethus two such coil springs, each of which is anchored at its upper endto the hook-like lower end of a rod 2D depending from and secured to atransverse common beam 2| itself centrally and pivotally connected withthe lower end of a vertically extending connecting rod 22 eccentricallysecured at its upper end upon a crank 23 at the front end of the maindriving shaft 24 of the shearing machine.

The rods 20 are shown secured at the opposite ends of the beam '2| bymeans of nuts 25 engaging the screw-threaded' upper extremities of therods, whereby some initial adjustment of the eifective lengths of theserods is possible, and the beam is shown formed with a central upstandingswivel block 26 for the swivel mounting thereon by the cross pivot pin21 of the lower forked extremity 28 of the connecting rod 22. Thelatter, at its upper end is shown connected with the crank 23 by meansof a screwed stud 29 having an intermediate plain cylindrical portion 30with which this end of the rod has rotary bearing engagement and whichstud is selectively engageable with any one of a number of screwed holes3| circumferentially spaced around the face of the crank 23. Thearrangement permits the effective crank throw to be varied in order tomeet particular requirements, since the screwed stud 29 can be readilyremoved and engaged with any one ofthe holes 3|.

With the construction and arrangement thus far described, rotation ofthe shaft 24 will producey an eccentric reciprocating motion of theconnecting rod 22, which motion will be im parted to the beam 2| tocause the rods 20 to be alternately lifted and lowered during acornplete revolution of the shaft. into the position as shown in thedrawings the coil springs I9, constituting a coil spring and elasticlinkage, will be extended and will exert a lifting effort upon the feedroll 1, such as imparts translational motion toV the feed roll andraises the upper portionvof the roll above the upper plane of the lowerand fixed shear plate 4. This upward lifting effort however is limitednot only by the crank action but also by the position of the studs I5and by a previous setting of the hold-down block 5 a condition isautomatically obtained, where the bar stock is carried forward into themachine by the feed roll 1 while supported thereon clear of thehold-down block and also the shear plates.

Continued rotation of the shaft 24, however, will lower the connectingrod 22 and associated beam 2| and free the springs I9 to return to acompressed condition in which the feed roll 1 is allowed to descendbodily to a position in which, at'the time when the shear plate 3, bythe action 'of the crank 32 and ram 33 (Fig. II), is lowered to effectthe desired shearing operation, the bar stock is supported upon thelower and fixed shear plate 4 and the feed roll is thereby relieved ofthe force of the shearing action.

As shown in Fig. II, the severed bar stock portions can descend frombehind the machine via a `chute 34.

'gear 39' is arranged to actuate a worm gear 40 which inf turn rotates apair of laterallyr spaced When liftedI up vertical screwed spindles 4Ithemselves screwed through the casting 31 and carrying the holddownblock 5. Adjustment of the hold-down block is normally an initialoperation and permits account to be taken for varying shapes and sizesof the feed bar stock, which latter may contain fairly largeirregularities or bends.

A feeding mechanism and arrangement as above described and asillustrated in the drawings is capable of being separately manufacturedand applied to existing shearing or like machines or of beingincorporated in the construction of such machines de novo.

Having thus described and illustrated one practical form of ourinvention, whichhowever is not limited in detail to the features thereindisclosed, but is capable of modification to suit different requirementsor practical considerations, what I claim is:

1. In a machine for shearing heavy bar stock having a xed shear plate, amovable shear plate, hold-down structure and a stock stop, a feedmechanism for feeding the bar stock between the fixed shear plate andthe hold-down structure with the movable shear plate raised comprising afeed roller engageable with the bar stock, means for continuouslyrotating said roller to feed the bar stock toward the stock stop, meanssupporting and guiding said roller for vertical upward movement toengage the bar stock to support the same between the fixed shear platewherein guide bearings are provided for said roller at opposite ends,said bearings being loosely guided so as to withstand the shock of theshearing operation, said roller lifting means being in the form ofspring link structure connected to said bearings, and a universal jointconnection between said roller and said driving means.

MAURICE P. LEFERE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the i'lle ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 252,786 Marggroff Jan. 24, 1882471,824 Naylor Mar. 29, 1892 1,951,177 Smitmans Mar. 13, 1934 2,024,287Hazelton Dec. 17, 1935 2,320,659 Sahlin June '1, 1943

